DENMARK - The Danish Pig Research Centre has laid down a series of animal welfare objectives moving towards 2020.
Mortality rates and the use of antibiotics will have to be reduced and the sector has set a target of reaching 10 per cent loose lactating sows, according to Lindhardt B. Nielsen and Nicolaj Nørgaard the chairman and director of the Pig Research Centre in their annual report.
They have also called for the number of farms completing audits to increase significantly.
Another concept that is now also part of the pig producers’ everyday life is the Yellow Card scheme, where those who use twice as much antibiotics as the average must reduce their consumption.
"This has been demonstrated to have a significant effect," Mr Nielsen and Mr Nørgaard say int the report.
To ensure efficient biosecurity, they say that the industry has adopted the Danish Transport Standard, which requires all vehicles arriving from other countries complete a safety wash at the Danish border.
Quarantine rules for visitors have also been revised with the result that quarantine is now calculated in proportion to the risk.